For Justice
by Mayze-Sig
Summary: Anyone who uses the Death Note can not go to heaven or hell. The same rule applies for those who receive a Geass.  Light and Lelouch are sent to our current world in 2012. They've been fated to face each other. Who will win: Kira or Zero?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I know using the year 2012 doesn't sync up but I wanted to make it as close to our current world as possible. X)_

**Chapter 1: Witness World**

The world was a groggy, dizzying place. Blurred light swam before Lelouch's vision. Yet he did feel comfortable and warm. The sound of traffic was coming from somewhere. So were voices, and they were very near.

Lelouch opened his eyes with a snap. He looked around and barely had time to register that five or six people stood crowded around the foot of his bed before each one of them cheered loudly. Before he knew it they had all tackled him and he was at the bottom of a dog pile.

"Brother, you're awake!" squealed a sweet voice.

"Nanaly!" Lelouch said with relief. He smiled as she blindly kissed him on the cheek, but internally he was panicking badly. Had his plan failed? How could he have survived that stab from Suzaku? He lifted the covers but there was no bandage around his torso. He set the blankets back and stared at the people around him. Apart from Nanaly he had no clue as to who they were.

Lelouch took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a hospital room. A flag that he had never seen before hung on the wall beneath the mounted television: it had thirteen lateral stripes and a star-filled blue corner. Perhaps this was the logo of the hospital he was in?

"You just woke up from a week long coma!" a curly-haired girl informed him.

"Really?" Lelouch breathed. With a jolt he wondered, did he still have his Geass? He set his gaze into the girl's eye and said, "Give me your name and a detailed explanation of what happened."

"That's just like you," sighed another girl.

"I'm Dania Marton," she reported. "Nobody knows exactly what happened to you. You collapsed in Econ class and simply didn't wake up."

Lelouch frowned deeply. "What is the date?" he asked.

"It's September 29th, 2012," Nanaly informed him brightly.

How and why was he put in the past? Lelouch put his fingers to his forehead. If this was 2012, he ought to be twelve years old and living with the Ashfords in Japan. Ifthis was the past, then Zero and the Black Knights had never existed.

"Is there any news on Area 11?" he asked.

The strangers looked at him strangely without comprehension.

"What is Britannia doing right now?" Lelouch demanded urgently. He leaned forward. "You!" he said to a sandy-haired guy. "I command you to tell me what theEmperor and Britannia are currently doing."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the guy said mechanically.

Just as Lelouch's nerves were about to reach breaking point a nurse walked in the room. Relief and feverish happiness flooded Lelouch's heart as C.C. entered. Her green hair was tied up in a long ponytail. She instructed his guests to leave the room for the examination.

"C.C., what the hell is this?" Lelouch said at once when she had locked the door.

"This sure has got you worried," C.C. said cheekily. She approached him, clutching a medical clip-board to her chest. "It's rather funny to see you squirm."

"C.C.!" Lelouch said dangerously. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so helpless and frustrated.

"Those who behold Geass cannot be sent to heaven or hell," C.C. explained in a quiet voice. "All those who do are sent to this Dimension, what we call 'Witness World.' You still have your Geass. But you live in a different world."

Lelouch sat very still, taking her words in very carefully. He wondered if he should be angry about this part of the contract C.C. had not mentioned. But he had no time to be mad or flustered.

"Tell me all about this world," he said.

"This is the world in which Great Britain failed in taking over its main colonies in the 1600's," said C.C. "The Revolution succeeded and you live in the country the United States of America. Your father is a descendant of the Tudors, and he's a major political and business tycoon. You're disgustingly rich. You got yourself into Harvard and excel based on your brain. The memories are all there."

Lelouch took a deep breath and closed his eyes. To his surprise, he suddenly remembered everyone in this life. He went to Harvard University in Boston, Massachusettes and he had grown up in upstate New York until his mother died. He was then sent to family members in Connecticut.

"All of my family members have the same names in this world," he muttered to himself. "And for the most part it mirrors what I had before. Charles and Marianne married despite not being royalty."

"You recovered those memories all on your own," C.C. smiled as she took a seat on his narrow bed.

"What is the point of this?" Lelouch frowned. His mind was a confused fusion of Lelouch vi Britannia and Lelouch Lamperouge of America. It felt agitating, like there were two brains in one head.

C.C stood up and walked over to the window. She gazed outside and the sun illuminated her angelically. "Something has been proposed, Lelouch. People who have used a certain weapon are sent to this realm as well. Someone died precisely on the same time and day as Lelouch vi Britannia, in a third world. The gods have become wily. They want to see who can win: Zero or Kira."

"What weapon is it?" Lelouch asked.

"I can't tell you," C.C. said sadly, and she turned her face so it was cast into shadow.

Lelouch couldn't help it anymore. His anger peaked. "To think I fell in love with the likes of you!" he said furiously. He was almost shaking with rage. "You may look like an angel standing there but you're just a manipulative bitch, that's all you are. I would rather have taken a Code and lived with you forever in hiding, but now look where I am!"

"I was ignorant," C.C. said and she turned sharply to face him. Her expression was serious and determined. "I did not know of this. I was granted a major favor to come to you just this once. I apologize with all my heart, Lelouch. I am forever on your side, but I can't help you this time."

"I don't care about a Kira," Lelouch said. He got out of the bed and joined her. He was no longer feeling so angry, but he was distraught at the thought of losing her. "This world is a democracy; there is no need to save it. I would rather float around in limbo, lovely and dead as planned."

"Now, those aren't words I'd have expected from you," C.C. said with a coy smile. "You've still got your Lelouch vi Britannia spirit. You've still got your Geass. Before long you will feel compelled to face off with Kira. He once changed the world in the name of justice; from what I heard he gained it through fear."

"I see," Lelouch sighed heavily. He looked out of the window at a flying-by bird. "This world is relatively peaceful. I've got nothing else to do, so I might as well fight to maintain peace."

Without warning C.C threw her arms around Lelouch and pressed her lips into his. Lelouch kissed her back passionately. After several days of sunlit bliss they broke apart.

"Good bye, King Lelouch," C.C. smiled sadly.

Lelouch looked into her eyes that reflected the gold from the streaming sun. If this was his fate then he simply had to accept it. "Good bye, Cecilia."

"Light?"

Voices filtered through to his ears slowly.

I'm alive, Light thought. He had survived the encounter with Near. His blood suddenly boiled. Had he really been foiled? Of course not, he told himself, I am unstoppable. He opened his eyes and sat up straight.

"Light!"

His mother stood next to his bed, beaming. His little sister was there as well and they took turns hugging and kissing him.

"Your father is at the station," his mother said while she wiped tears out of her eyes. "You were in a week-long coma, Light!"

"So it's September 29th?" Light asked sharply. "How did I get in a coma?"

"You just collapsed on the 23rd," his sister said nervously. "The doctors couldn't explain it, I'm afraid."

Where was the Death Note? He still had possession of it if he could think about it. Was Ryuk hiding somewhere? Light looked around surreptitiously. Everything appeared rather normal. That was until he spotted the digital alarm clock on his bed table.

The year displayed said 2012. What on earth was he doing in the past? Light narrowed his eyes in thought. The year 2012 had occurred before he came about the notebook, meaning Kira had not existed.

"Mom, do you think I can have a rest?" he asked, putting on a tired voice.

"Yes, of course," his mother said kindly. "We'll be back later to get you out. You've got some intense class work to catch up on."

"Right," he laughed nervously. The door closed behind the ladies and he immediately took to scowling about the room. "Ryuk?"

"Mornin' to ya, Light-oh," a familiar voice cackled. Light looked up and wasn't surprised to see Ryuk grinning at him wickedly from upside-down.

"Dare I ask?" he said grimly.

"That's up to you, isn't it?" Ryuk replied. He turned the right way up and sank to the floor, taking the place where Light's mother had stood moments before.

"So you'll answer my questions this time?" Light said suspiciously.

"Just this once," Ryuk said holding a long black index finger in front Light, who frowned with annoyance. "I told you those who use Death Note can not go to heaven or hell, right?"

Light watched him silently.

"This is where you've turned up," Ryuk explained. "To you, it's basically the same as what you came from except that you didn't become Kira yet. Your life went on in this dimension in which it was fated that you did not pick up my book. In this world, there's no L or any hint of Watari."

Light's eyes widened. He leapt out of bed, his heart singing. He clenched his hands as fists triumphantly. "This proves that I'm meant to do this," he hissed. "I'm being given a second chance. Even in another dimension I'm chosen to be God!"

"Once little hitch," Ryuk chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" Light asked.

"There's a guy named Zero who came here from yet another world," Ryuk said through a leering smile, "and he has a power that allowed him to become a god of his world, pretty much. The shinigamis have decided that they love human entertainment so much that we want to see who will make it this time."

"What's the point of this?" Light said a little impatiently.

"No particular objective," Ryuk said airily. "Whoever wins will be granted immortality or the choice to return to the world you just died in."

"Immortality," Light breathed. A glimmering peace of hope came shining through the clouds in the rainy day outside. "This is it! This is the world I'm meant to rule over. That last one was just practice!"

Ryuk lifted his wings to take off, but Light stopped him.

"This time," Light said with a twisted smile, "I'll take those eyes."

...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Lelouch I

Lelouch I

- 2 Days Later -

"Hey, Lelouch," Jessie Ward sang playfully. She linked her arm around his. She was a pretty brunette with large blue eyes.

"I didn't know you all cared this much," Lelouch said dryly. "It means a lot to me though, thank you."

He was in the dormitory building lounge and many people were there. It was quite overwhelming to be greeted with such positivity. He was majoring in corporate law and taking public relations as his minor. At school he was head of the chess team, in the student body government and president of the Japan-America Ivy League Alliance. For some reason in this world he had studied Japanese.

"Don't be such a stickler, Le-Douche," the sandy-haired guy, James Collard laughed. "Relax and enjoy the party already!" He raised a bottle of champagne and the cork shot out with a blast.

"Don't call him that, James!" Jessie snapped.

"It's fine," Lelouch smiled. "I get it now. All this fuss is just a nice excuse for a party! You guys are clever."

"That's not it at all," cried Dania, shaking her head furiously.

There was the sound of a whistle being blown and everyone jumped and looked around at the doorway. A security guard stood there. There was a frantic scurrying of students quickly hiding liquor.

The man looked quite grim. "Lelouch Lamperouge, please come with me," he said.

Lelouch wondered what could possibly be going on. He approached him. "Very well," he said. He took out his contact lens discreetly and said, "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about the party going on in here."

"That's fine, Lamperouge," the guard replied. Lelouch waved at his dumbfounded dorm mates and followed the man outside.

"Can I ask what's going on?" Lelouch inquired.

"I'm bringing you to your academic advisor," the guard told him. "Something has come up."

They walked across the grounds swiftly in silence. Perhaps he was too far behind on his work, Lelouch thought; or it was possible that they had got wind of his underground gambling. He didn't want to waste a Geass on a petty matter; his academic advisor would be put to better use than that.

They arrived at the office and the officer pointed him inside wordlessly. Lelouch entered.

"You're working late tonight, Mr. Schmelling," Lelouch said in greeting.

"Well, unfortunately I've got some grim business to deal with," Mr. Schmelling said. He was an older man, tall and slightly balding, with round glasses perched on his bony nose.

"I can no longer take the suspense," Lelouch smiled.

"Please, take a seat, Lelouch," Mr. Schmelling sighed. Lelouch sat in the hard wooden chair across the desk. Mr. Schmelling surveyed Lelouch for a moment and then said wearily, "I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your father has suddenly passed away."

Lelouch processed the words calmly. In his Britannia world and in this one, he had contempt for his father who had abandoned him and Nanaly after Marianne's death. Charles still had his "the weak deserve to suffer" mentality and ran his business immorally, through extortion and racketeering.

"How did he die?" he asked slowly.

"He had a heart attack," Mr. Schmelling said. "It happened in the office. He died almost instantaneously."

"At least he died where he's happiest," Lelouch said bitterly. He leaned his elbows on the desk and interlocked his fingers, resting his chin against them. A thought suddenly struck him. Did this Charles have Geass? Emperor Charles had died and if all Geass users came to this world…. In that case, were Rolo and Mao here? Lelouch had to ascertain their existence.

"We can offer you a flexible arrangement," Mr. Schmelling said mournfully.

"Right, I've inherited the business," Lelouch said darkly. "I'll address that after I see my sister Nanaly. Are you certain he died from a heart attack?"

Mr. Schmelling raised his eyebrows. "That's the report I got, you can read it."

"Please," Lelouch requested. Mr. Schmelling handed over the document. Lelouch read through it quickly. It was just as he had expected. Charles had been in perfect health. There was no sign of poison or gas or a heart condition. Charles li Britannia would never have died to something so mortal as a heart attack.

"Will your sister go into social services?" Mr. Schmelling dared to ask.

Lelouch looked at him sharply. "Of course not. D'you think I'm going to let her out of my sight after I've mysteriously been in a coma and my father has randomly had a heart attack? Over my dead body will anything happen to Nanaly. I raised her myself, so don't ask impertinent questions, please."

"Sorry," Mr. Schmelling said hastily, startled at this outburst. Lamperouge had always been a mystery. As far as the man could tell Lelouch did not seem to have any remorse for the situation.

Lelouch stood up. "Forward my classwork to me via email," he said, "I'll be heading out tonight. Thanks for the support, Mr. Schmelling."

He turned and left the room. He needed an ally. There was only one person he could think of for this. Lelouch returned to the party that had turned raucous and wild. He dodged several girls throwing themselves at him and sidestepped friends pushing red plastic cups into his hand. He marched through it all and ran up to his dormitory. He burst into his room, panting.

"What's up, Lelouch?" said his roommate, an African-American named Max Olowemi. He was studying at his desk.

"Uh, family issues," Lelouch said evasively. He logged onto his laptop. He quickly searched up ROLO HALIBURTON. A link to Rolo Haliburton's facebook was the first option. Lelouch clicked it and his heart leapt as he saw a picture of Rolo. They weren't friends, but Lelouch hacked through the privacy settings easily. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number Rolo provided.

After about four rings, someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Rolo," Leouch said quietly.

There was a stunned silence on the line. "Who is this?"

Lelouch stood up and went over to the black window. "Rolo, it's me."

"LELOUCH?" he screamed. Lelouch grimaced and held the phone away from his ear. "No! Why are you here? Did you die?"

"Don't worry, everything went as planned," Lelouch said. He couldn't contain his grin. "The world is in Suzaku's hands. So, do you still have your…?"

"Yes, but I haven't met any of the kids from the Order," Rolo said in a very fast voice. "This world is very simple and straight-forward. I just lived as a normal boy."

"So how did you come to know about this world?" Lelouch asked. He turned around to see Max giving him a weird look. "We're talking about World of Warcraft," Lelouch laughed. Max rolled his eyes and returned to his work.

"I went to your father," Rolo said. Lelouch blinked at his own reflection in the window. "Why do you think he sent you and Nanaly away? He was so furious at you! He informed me that Geass users come here, to this America world."

"Luckily he's dead," said Lelouch.

"Did you kill him?" Rolo gasped.

"No," Lelouch said shortly. "Listen, how about we meet up? I'll send you my address and transportation tickets."

"Definitely," Rolo said with enthusiasm. "I can still see you tonight!"

"Yes," Lelouch responded. "There's no time to delay."

- Hours Later -

Five hours later Lelouch was in the lavish drawing room of Ashford Manor cradling stunned Nanaly in his arms.

"You can cry if you'd like," Lelouch muttered.

Nanaly shrugged and swallowed. She struggled out of his clutches. "As long as I've got you, Lelouch, I'll be okay. Promise you'll never leave me."

"Nanaly, is there anything in the world that you would wish for?" Lelouch asked, keeping his tone light.

"If anything, it would be peace and justice," Nanaly said thoughtfully.

Lelouch smiled despite himself. "You're awesome, Nanaly." At that moment the doorbell rang. Lelouch jumped up and hurried to answer it. He opened the door wide to greet Rolo.

Without exchanging any words he entered and he and Lelouch simply looked at each other long and hard.

"So Charles died of a heart attack?" Rolo asked.

"I need your help, little bro," Lelouch said, getting straight to business. He gestured for Rolo to follow him and they went up to his bedroom. Lelouch locked the door and pointed at Rolo to sit in an armchair. Lelouch took the other and crossed his legs.

"Apparently there are people who get a power other than Geass and also come to this world."

"Huh?" Rolo said blankly.

"Apparently if I find and kill a guy named Kira then I will be granted immortality or return to Britannia realm," Lelouch explained to Rolo.

Rolo's eyes widened. "Which would you choose?"

"I don't much care," Lelouch said heavily. "The point is I have a feeling Zero will rise again. Of course, there will be no Black Knights."

"I can't imagine Zero in this world," Rolo said seriously. "Sure you've got your brains and your Geass but I don't think you could create that level of terrorism – America is so paranoid over terrorism you'd never get away with it. Also, what cause do you have to gather people?"

"I like how you think," Lelouch smiled. "I'm CEO of Lamperouge Incorporated now; I have incredible resources at my hands. I remember almost every diagram on the Gawain's system."

"You're not going to make a Knightmare!" Rolo said in disbelief.

"Of course not," Lelouch smirked, "the science division will. Lamperouge Inc owns a lot of research companies. If my company builds the first Knightmare of the world, it will be viewed as a weapon of mass destruction and the US military will commandeer it. But who else has the ability to pilot it?" Lelouch chuckled and leaned back in his chair comfortably. "Lamperouge Inc will infiltrate the US military."

"And your cause?" Rolo asked after he closed his hanging jaw.

"I will let this Kira fellow make the first move," Lelouch said quietly. "There's no telling what he's able to do. Keep your eye out for suspicious deaths. I'll turn him into a public enemy, whatever it takes. And Zero will save the world from a menace. Meanwhile, I'd also like to find a man with Geass. His name was Mao back in our world."

"What was his power?"

"He could read minds," Lelouch explained. "He's a complete lunatic but he'll be useful. His Geass is powerful. I'll control him if need be."

"You know you can count on me, Lelouch," Rolo said, puffing out his chest importantly. "I'm with you 'til the end, no matter what."

- Two Days Later : Lamperouge Incorporated Headquarters -

Lelouch straightened his tie and assumed an aloof and powerful expression, the one he had often worn as the emperor. He was dressed in an expensive black business suit. A secretary and a vice president flanked him.

"Thank you for calling this meeting together, vice president Michael Harris," Lelouch said quietly.

"Well, we've got to discuss the matter of who obtains the company," Harris replied. "I think there will be a vote on who inherits the company."

Lelouch knew what was going on. They were hoping he would step down; Harris was most likely eyeing his position and who knew who else had similar motives. Power hunger and greed would complicate matters severely, he realized. A servant opened the door and Lelouch, Harris, and secretary Melanie Foster entered the large room. It was designed like an amphitheater and a table faced the benches.

The men and women in the hall stood as Lelouch acknowledged them with a lazy wave and took his seat at the table.

"First of all, we'd like to offer condolences for your family's loss," piped up one of the men at the front. There was a rumble of agreement. Lelouch put his fingertips together and bowed his head.

"Thank you," he said, "it has not only brought sadness to the family but it has also complicated the affairs of Lamperouge Incorporated. There's no need to be ashamed or nervous, but please tell me now: who here believes they can do a better job of running Lamperouge Inc than myself?"

There was a surprised hush. After a few moments, about half a dozen people raised shaking hands very slowly, including Michael Harris.

"I believe the real purpose of this meeting is to see whether I will indeed inherit this franchise," Lelouch said confidently and there was an extended silence in the room. Harris hastily lowered his arm and looked at Lelouch nervously. "After all, do I really have the credentials? I've studied corporate law at Harvard for the past three years – I skipped a few years of grade school – and I've also studied public relations and economics. I know that a classroom is as different from the real world as you can get. However," he leaned forward and put his chin against his hands again, utterly relaxed, "I don't intend on stepping down."

"Are you prepared to continue Charles Lamperouge's plans, Mr. Lelouch?" Melanie asked.

"I think they need a bit of an upgrade, actually," Lelouch responded.

"Excuse me," said a hard-faced man in one of the rows, "I think you've got some false sense of superiority. You don't even know the inner workings of our multiple companies!"

"You're Felix Chaplan, aren't you?" Lelouch said pleasantly. "You're head of Real Estate Brokerage Investments and you work with the likes of Donald Trump. You run a magnificent monopoly of real estate groups that fund your engineering projects and have wonderful political supporters that pay off your land taxes. I commend you for your position."

Chaplan's mouth opened in awe. There was a hiss of people whispering to one another.

"I've read files on political incumbents who have funded weaponry development in Robert Gander's field," Lelouch said, now getting straight to business. "I would like to schedule a meeting with you, Mr. Gander. Bring your friends."

"Yes, sir," said a black-haired man.

"Meanwhile I noticed gaps in the budget," Lelouch went on. "In some areas we are up to half a billion dollars in debt. This won't do. Apply for donations from political parties and government-run corporations. Independent are fine as well but don't bring them too close to the loop unless they've got the credentials."

"That's how you plan to make up that money?" said a completely bald man in the crowd. "How do you plan on distributing the funds?"

"By appointing an extra bureau member," Lelouch said calmly. "I'm aware of the global trade as well. Send word to all joint factions that things will proceed as usual but we need to implicate a 1% tax increase."

"That'll piss 'em off," the man said bluntly.

"Let them be pissed," Lelouch sighed. He had brought the business men to the lowest pit of their pride simply on the comparison in ability. "What's wrong with the morale, gentlemen? You are all capable and admirably ruthless."

"What about our bonuses?" another man dared to ask.

Lelouch's instinct was to cut it at once. For now he had to play nice with them, though.

"Wall Street scandal is dangerous," Lelouch frowned at the man. "Payoffs are all temporary solutions. If I see you all making clever transactions without ripping of Schneizel's group then you'll get your bonuses."

"Now," Lelouch said very seriously, "I'd like you all to pay close attention. Have any of you noticed that two other competing corporations have lost their CEOs due to heart attacks?"

"Yeah, Madoff kicked the bucket!" exclaimed an overweight guy.

"So did Piers Imports," nodded the man next to him.

"Coincidence?" Lelouch said coldly. "I don't think so. I'm not sure what exactly is going on but if any of my staff start dropping I'm going to be inclined to turn to the FBI on conspiracy suspicions."

There was an instant uproar. Lelouch waited patiently for the men to stop shouting, but they didn't seem to. He raised his hand to silence them.

"Therefore I beseech you all to stay low profile for a while," Lelouch instructed. "Inform our media outlets to pad any Wall Street or trade stories. I want our Secrecy Division on top of every US-based faction; I will give them a raise. This is our top priority. Keep dancing toe-to-toe with the FBI and refrain from making suspicious deals with them!"

"Why are you so concerned?" Melanie asked from his left. "Are you worried you'll get a heart attack or something?"

"It doesn't matter to me whether or not I die," Lelouch said tonelessly and there was a startled collective gasp, "my interests lie in the peace and prosperity of this organization and the world. If we all die there will be terrible power squabbles and funds will be squandered. This is just a precaution, but if we got so much as a sniff of suspicious deaths we need to spring into action. Anyone who does die, I would like the media to broadcast the deaths and make it massive hype."

There was a beeping noise. A blond man with glasses and a heavily lined mouth cleared his throat and checked his text message. He sat up straight, alarmed.

"Mr. Lamperouge!" he exclaimed. "Onalla, a fierce racketeer in Libya, dropped dead at nine o'clock this morning, and China's Engineering Export company president died at ten o'clock."

There was an outbreak of nervous conversation and before they knew it the middle-aged men were turning to the college student helplessly.

"How did you know this would happen?" Harris muttered.

"It takes instinct to run a business, too," Lelouch said out of the corner of his mouth.

"What should we do?" demanded Flex Chaplan.

Lelouch sat back in the seat, crossed his legs and leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair. He rested his face against his elegantly draped hand. He kept his expression impassive but inside his mind was buzzing with theories and possibilities.

"Now that I think about it," the fat man said loudly, "the CEOs have all died on the hour!"

This could potentially be Kira, Lelouch mused. The people who were dying were all the leaders of shady businesses that in many cases ripped off the public. To someone who had once taken over a ripping-off government, Lelouch understood that these killings were gestures of justice. Hell, it was a good idea. Indeed, by throwing these corporations into chaos, the balance of the world would be skewed because corrupt governments had such close ties to them. On the other hand, was Kira's power merely killing people with heart attacks?

"Mr. Lamperouge?"

"Keep faith," he told his subordinates. He raised his voice. "We will not alter our course of action very much. The media will be advantageous in this situation. This is an order to proclaim to the world that Lamperouge Incorporated has not yet filled its chairman position. If I still die, then that means someone within the system is responsible for these mysterious heart attacks."

"You seem very calm," said a tiny Italian guy aggressively. Everyone looked at Lelouch with sudden suspicion.

"How will panicking help the situation?" Lelouch retorted coolly. "I'm not interested in usurping power or getting rich, so don't get suspicious."

"Mr. Lamperouge," gasped Robert Gander, "multiple prisoners across the world have died. Most of them have been political or banking fraud people! What is going on?"

"Did you say prisoners?" Lelouch said rather sharply. All eyes were on him. Lelouch lowered his hand and raised his head so he was sitting up straight. Who would bother killing criminals who were already incarcerated? Kira was forcing Lelouch into action sooner than he had expected. Killing prisoners was sickeningly wrong in Lelouch's opinion; they were defenseless. Despite their crimes, they were now facing justice and serving their time. He got a heavy feeling of warning in his stomach that this Kira person might just love to kill.

"Are you going to the FBI?" Harris asked nervously. "I just got news that three of the prisoners were former Lamperouge members."

"I'm going to assemble a top secret team," Lelouch said quickly. "I want Gander, Potter, McCane, Stamford and Foster to meet me in my office directly after this meeting. Everybody else shall continue with what we discussed earlier and I pray that you all keep wary and don't do anything reckless."

Fifteen minutes later he was sitting around a table with the black-haired Gander, the bespectacled Potter, the white-haired McCane, the stern Stamford and prim Melanie Foster. The men and woman each had folders open in front of them, but Lelouch sat staring at a blank piece of table.

"I can't believe this has happened on your first day," Melanie shook her head. "You've proven yourself to be very competent, Mr. Lamperouge."

Lelouch nodded.

"I've devised a slightly reckless plan," Lelouch informed them quietly.

"How did you devise a plan," Stamford said gruffly, "when you've been with us solidly?"

"I can talk and think at the same time, Mr. Stamford," Lelouch said with a bite of impatience. Stamford looked as though Lelouch had punched him in the face. "I want to know what exactly this person is after. Thus I want you, Mr. Potter, to get three death row prisoners. It doesn't matter what their real crimes are. I want the press to release information on them. One shall be a sex offender, the other shall be a bank extortionist, and the other will be a drug-addicted murderer."

"Are you sacrificing them?" Potter said with disapproval.

"If they do die then it will be honorable in defending this country," Lelouch said quickly. "I need to know if this person or group is targeting organizations specifically, or if he hates criminals in general. I want one of the prisoners to be from Japan."

Everyone exchanged confused glances.

"Why Japan, sir?" asked Melanie, who was scribbling notes furiously.

"I think you should shred those notes, Ms Foster," Lelouch said to her. "A corrupt Japanese manager had a heart attack at 10 pm Tokyo time. All the deaths have occurred between 8 and 10 in the morning, except that one man. But if the person is from Japan then he or she gives people heart attacks at night, presumably after a day at work and before sleeping, and he gave it away by killing the person within the same time zone…."

They were cut off by a strangled yell coming from the corridor. The business men all looked at the door. They had not been warned about any intruder, but the next moment a man burst through the heavy wooden doors.

"ZERO!" he bellowed. He whipped out a gun and pointed it at Lelouch wildly.

Lelouch's breath caught in his chest. "Mao!" he gasped. The members of Lamperouge Inc stared from the man with their hands over their head, who was panting as he stood holding the gun, and Lelouch, who had jumped to his feet and had his hands braced on the tabletop tensely. Internally, however, he was overjoyed.

"Mao," Lelouch said warningly.

"Damn you Lelouch!" Mao screamed. "This is where it ends for you!"

"Enough," Lelouch said angrily. "Put the gun down, Mao. Now!"

"Mr. Lamperouge," gaped Melanie, "you're speaking Japanese!"

"English works too," Mao sneered, in English. "Die, Lelouch vi Britannia!" 

"Mao, I need your help!" Lelouch said loudly, still in Japanese.

"Don't fuck with me!" Mao screamed, beside himself. "You killed me!" 

Lelouch laughed. "Clearly I killed you, since you're standing here and telling me all about it!" he retorted, in English. He glared at Mao and thought with all his might: _A__new__menace__is__on__the__rise.__Join__me__just__this__once,__Mao,__and__help__me__take__him__down.__Put__your__powers__to__good__use!__Please!_

"Begging won't get you anywhere," Mao giggled madly, but he lowered his gun and it hung limply by his side.

"Then I'll demand," Lelouch replied.

"I'm not scared of you, Lulu," Mao sang. "I can see your real intentions, you want C.C. all to yourself."

"C.C is gone," Lelouch said shortly. "You can stop worrying about her. If this is really what this is all about, shame on you, Mao."

"Argh!" cried Mao. Just as he opened his mouth to speak Lelouch whisked the contact out of his eye and before Mao could react he said, "Be on my side!"

There was a ringing silence. Mao dropped the gun with a clatter. Everyone held their breath as he hung his head in defeat.

"Lelouch, I…"

Lelouch smiled kindly; it masked the true triumphant smirk there. "Go home and rest, Mao," he said softly. Mao looked up at him blearily. He covered his ears in irritation and nodded, and left the room.

"I am very sorry," Lelouch said to the members at once. "He's unstable and I got his ex-girlfriend out of their sticky relationship. He'll never forgive me for it." He sighed and sat back down, regaining his composure. He was still rather shaken about the Lulu remark. It was disgraceful to Shirley's memory.

"Er," Stamford began, "did that madman just call you Lulu?"

Lelouch leaned back in his seat. "Only two people are allowed to call me that," he said with a faint smile. "Unless you are my sister or my girlfriend, refrain. Speaking of which I'd like to request security."

"I'll have a word with what the hell our guards were doing," growled McCane. "Would you like personal guards, Mr. Lamperouge?"

"No, send two to protect my sister Nanaly," Lelouch said firmly.

"Do you believe she could be in danger?" Melanie asked, wide eyed.

"There's no evidence that could suggest it," Lelouch said rather darkly, "but over my dead body will anyone harm Nanaly."

"Mr. Lelouch…" Melanie mumbled, "do you think you could clarify some things for us? Erm…well, Charles never mentioned you; he's got Schneizel and Cornelia doing business here but…."

"That is the most unprofessional question I've ever heard," Lelouch said very slowly. The atmosphere around the table became nervous and Melanie turned bright red. "Don't ask me why Charles sent his children away when their mother was killed, and don't ask me why he named me his heir, for I don't know. It's not like he attempted to contact us for almost a decade."

Lelouch surveyed the members grimly. It had been a lot easier when he just wore a mask. They were now exchanging confused and sympathetic looks between each other.

"This matter will not be discussed again," Lelouch told them. "We need to focus on important things here. Before you ask I'm the president of the Japan-America Ivy League alliance. Now…" Lelouch stopped talking abruptly. His heart skipped a beat.

"Sir?"

"Inform our media messengers!" he said urgently. "Do not proclaim the deaths to the public! This is very important. Move quickly."

"Why the sudden change in heart?" asked Mr. Potter, who opened up his laptop to contact the necessary people.

Kira was cleverer than Lelouch had bargained for. If the media made a big deal over the deaths of investors then he would gain a lot of public support. Who didn't want to see immoral bankers punished? Yet if the media blatantly covered up the deaths then Kira could potentially narrow the world and find Lelouch.

"Mr. Lamperouge," said Mr. Potter, "those who died in the prisons are reported to have scrawled identical messages! They spell out K-I-R-A!"

Before Lelouch knew it a snigger escaped him. Melanie and Stamford glanced at him.

Good job Kira, he thought with relish. You've gone to great lengths to lure me out. I suppose you want to get rid of me quickly. Very well, I will respond! Zero will come to this world.

"All of you," Lelouch said clearly and he removed his lens. "Join me wholeheartedly and secretly in Operation Zero!"


End file.
